"With a lemony filling, these spiced cookies go over big because they have old-fashioned, comfort-food appeal. Your party guests will snatch them up!" -Carol Walston, Granbury, Texas
TOTAL TIME: Prep: 25 min. + chilling
Bake: 10 min./batch + cooling
YIELD: 80 servings or so. Note purple #20 scoop (20ml) gives too-large cookies as-is.
In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and molasses. Combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Shape into 1-in. balls; roll in sugar. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten with a fork, forming a crisscross pattern. Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes** or until set (do not overbake)*. Remove to wire racks to cool.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine filling ingredients until smooth. Spread over the bottoms of half of the cookies; top with remaining cookies. Store in the refrigerator.
[Jan. 2018. Taken from https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/ginger-creme-sandwich-cookies]
[Apr. 2023. Scaled up to use 8 oz. package. Original 30-serving version]
*[Dec. 2023. With my 20ml purple scooper, I got about 100 ginger cookies. Next time I'll cut my scoops in half. The recipe says "do not overbake" because you want soft cookies. If they're crisp like a ginger snap, the creme filling squirts out the side when you bite it.]
**[Jan. 2024. Using the purple scooper and cutting them in half before rolling them in sugar, 8 minutes is too long for my dark baking pans, but 9 minutes seems just right for my shiny silver pans.]